In the Winter's Chill
by Reasonable-Nonsense
Summary: One sick werewolf finds the oblivious love of his life taking care of him. Add in his territorial instincts, and it is bound to be trouble. But, then again, maybe he didn't mind. JxB
1. Chapter 1

**All rights belong to Stepehnie Meyer. I own nothing but the plot of this story.  
**

There was something about the overcast of the clouds, which was a general characteristic of Forks, that made her particularly wary today.

Bella had the impending feeling that something bad had happened, right from the moment that she stepped out of her house. And because she lived with a town seemingly overrun by supernatural creatures, she believed that she was quite good at sensing these sorts of things.

Loading up her truck with her green camouflage hiking bag and a large plastic container filled with homemade peanut brittle – her best friend's favorite treat that she makes – she set off on her twenty-or-so minute drive to La Push, excited for a relaxing walk in the misty forests of Washington.

On her drive there, she reflected on how much she missed Jacob Black's company. They had kept in touch, of course, but despite being only a short drive away, they barely had any time to see each other. With Jacob keeping the town safe from killer vampires, she couldn't blame him.

There was also the fact that Edward had always occupied her time. She loved him – she loved him more than she could describe – but there were times where she felt suffocated. Like a small rabbit in a cage, she was a small, protected animal that's only interaction was with her owner. Bella did not like to use this analogy, since she refused to admit that she was owned by anyone, but she could not ignore the small part of her mind that forced her to realize it. It was true, Edward was the owner of her heart, but she definitely had a right to spend time with her other friends. Jacob in particular, even though the two of them never saw eye-to-eye, with them being natural enemies and whatnot.

Bella ran a hand through her chestnut locks, remembering the relief she felt when Jacob called her up one day, asking if she would like to go hiking with him the first day she got on Winter Break. He sounded well enough, but she could detect the exhaustion in his voice from the shift times he has had to do. As Sam's second-in-command, he must have been patrolling more than most of the pack. Despite this, he sounded as eager as a child who was asking his parents if they would allow him to get a pet.

Bella chuckled to herself. Even though Jacob was a huge beast of a man, probably the most powerful creature that existed, he was a child at heart. It was one of the many things that she loved about him.

Nevertheless, the impending dread that she felt had only increased as she approached his house. There was something definitely wrong, and she had the terrifying inkling that it had to do with Jake.

Bella almost broke her beautiful truck's door as she slammed it and ran towards the little red house. She knocked, albeit a little excessively, on the door, her anxiety spreading throughout her body. The door opened right when she was about to start her second round of knocking. At the door was not Jake, but a very exhausted Billy, whose red eyes with dark bags conveyed to her that he had not slept at all. His hands rested tiredly on the rims of his wheelchair, and through his fatigue, he offered her a fatherly smile.

Once he let her in, she immediately crouched down to his height, taking both of his hands in hers and laying them on his lap. "Billy, what's wrong? You look awful." Bella said with concern.

Billy gave a small, tired chuckle. "That's always what I want to hear." He replied. "I don't think Jake's going to be able to go hiking with you today, Bella."

"Why, what happened?" She asked exigently. "Did something happen on his patrols? Was he attacked? Is he-"

"Bella, please. You'll give yourself a stroke, dear." Billy said as he pet her soft hair. "He's not hurt, but he's extremely sick." He said. He sighed and shook his head as he looked towards his son's room. "I don't think I've ever seen him this unwell."

"I thought…that werewolves didn't get sick…" Bella said, her voice trailing off uncertainly.

"Then we are in the same boat, my dear. Would you still like to see him? He's asleep right now; he's been up all night coughing."

Bella was not deterred by the latter part of his statement. "Of course!" She said quickly, internally cringing at how her voice squeaked as her words came out. She went behind Billy's chair and rolled him towards Jacob's room, bracing herself for the worst. He had seldom ever been sick, and if it was enough to have him suffering in bed all night, then he must have been in a bad state.

She wheeled Billy up to his door and he reached out to open it. When he did, Bella was immediately hit with an overwhelming heat wave emitting from his room. It was like a sauna in there, despite the window being open to its fullest capacity and the winter chill blowing relentlessly inside the room. One look at the boy who was, very literally, radiating heat off of him was enough to affirm the premonition she dreaded.

Jacob was covered in a glistening layer of sweat. His shirt was off and he was left in nothing except his boxer shorts. His cheeks had a red tinge to them, almost a drunken sort of blush. Staggered pants exhaled through his mouth as he tossed and turned uncomfortably, struggling to find a relaxing position that would satisfy his overbearing illness.

Bella left Billy's side to take a spot next to Jacob's bed, taking his hand and holding it in both of hers, careful not to wake him. The first thing she noticed was how incredibly _scalding_ he felt, as if a water boiler had been placed inside of him. She almost had the urge to drop his hand with how hot he was, but she did not have the heart to. The warmth that emitted from him usually was inviting and relaxing, but his body temperature currently was nothing short of burning. She held his hand to her, hoping that her colder temperature would somehow mitigate the effects of his hot one, but this was to no avail.

"How long has he been like this?" Bella asked, turning towards Billy.

"Just since last night, after he got done with a shift around the border of the city. He didn't eat dinner last night, which never happens, so that was the first clue I had that something was off. I came into his room around midnight because he was moanin' and groanin'." Billy said, moving towards Jake himself. He placed a hand on his son's head. "This isn't good. His temperature's gone up." Billy said worriedly.

Bella patted his leg. "Please go rest, Billy. I'll be here to take care of him." She said.

"Naw, Bella. I couldn't ask you to do that." Billy replied, although he body was already complying with her offer.

"I'm offering, though. And you and Jake are my family, so there's nothing you should feel guilty about!" Bella pleaded. "I'm taking you back to your room." She said resolutely. Billy opened his mouth to protest, but decided that it would be fruitless, seeing that Bella was already taking him back to his room. She expertly helped him into bed as she had done many times before, securely tucking him in to prevent the cold winter air from affecting him. "There you go, all done!" She said as she pretended to dust off her hands.

Billy grinned up at her as his head laid languidly on his pillow. "What did that idiot do to get you to stay around?" He asked, on the edge of losing consciousness. He closed his eyes with a smile on his face.

Bella knelt down and squeezed his shoulder. "He's been the most amazing friend I could ever ask for." She wasn't sure if Billy heard her, since he seemed to have already slipped into the land of dreams.

Bella immediately got to work on attending to her ailing best friend. She started by going to the bathroom and collected some wet towels to cool him down. She ran over multiple scenarios of what she could do. Taking him to the hospital was _completely_ out of the question: she didn't think it was medically possible for a normal human to be at such a high temperature. She couldn't leave Billy alone to take care of Jake himself; with his high blood pressure, his diabetes, and his disability, it was hard enough for him to take care of his own needs, let alone his son's.

What to do, then?

That was the question she asked herself as she made her way back to Jake's room, a plethora of both wet and dry towels in her hands. She knelt down again and absent-mindedly dabbed his forehead and the rest of his body, trying to come up with the best solution to help him.

She almost gasped when she felt a hand clasp her wrist loosely. She looked at Jake's face to see that he was staring up at her through squinted, tired eyes. As soon as his vision cleared, and he was able to clearly see her worried face, he broke out into a grin.

"Bells…" He muttered breathily, his hand still on her wrist. She dropped his towel and took his hand in hers.

"I'm right here, Jake." She said soothingly, petting his damp hair.

"What are you…" Suddenly Jake's eyes went wide. "We're supposed to go hiking today, aren't we?" Bella nodded her head softly. "Shit, I'm sorry, Bells. I'll be up in just a-" He cut himself off with a sharp intake of breath as a biting pain erupted in his chest, sending him into a fit of coughs.

"No, no, no, no, lay down." Bella ordered as she slowly pushed his body down onto the bed. "I don't care about the hiking trip. Your health is more important." Bella picked the towel back up and continued to dab his forehead.

"Will you stay with me, Bella?" Jacob breathed out. His voice sounded so weak, so feeble. She could not even fathom the pain he was going through, and that very fact broke her heart.

She smiled down at him. "I'm not going anywhere. Anything you need, I'll be here. Like you've always been there for me." She touched his cheek, and he immediately leaned into her hand. "I've never seen you like this, Jake. What happened?" She asked, worried about how much strain he had put himself through since the last time she talked to him.

She could tell that he was trying to talk, to communicate to her about his condition. But, as he tried to speak, his eyelids started to drop, and she could tell that just their conversation was exhausting him.

Bella squeezed his hand in reassurance. "Don't worry about it, Jake. Take some rest." She saw him sigh contently, letting her know that he heard her. Then, he drifted off into a dreamless unconsciousness.

Bella stared at his enfeebled body once more before she unhooked her hand from his and stood up. She touched her forehead, unaware that it had started to form sweat from just being in his burning presence. Staring at him would not do him any good, so Bella decided to make herself useful and cook a few dishes for both Billy and Jacob, just so they could be alleviated from any worry about food.

While she was in the kitchen, searching the fridge, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She whipped it out, knowing that it was Edward calling her to ask her where she was. She hesitated for a moment, but then declined the call, something that she has almost never done.

Feeling a little guilty, she texted him a quick _I'll call you soon. Love you,_ before she stuffed her phone back in her pocket and continued taking out the necessary ingredients to make a healthy porridge.

She could talk to Edward later. Jacob needed her right then, so she was going to be there for him.

And that's how the problem started.

 **Please review letting me know if I should continue! Like most college students, I have a busy schedule, so I want to make sure this is something that is worth investing my time into. Thank you guys so much for reading, and I'll see you next time!  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own Twilight or any of the characters. I only own the plot of the story.**

 **ALSO! I just wanted to clarify that the cause for Jacob's illness is not what the plot of the story will be revolving around. It is just a plot point for this story. There is a reason to why he is sick, but he's not dying or anything too serious.**

By the time Bella finished cooking, it was already late in the afternoon. Both Billy and Jacob were asleep in their rooms, but she could hear the latter coughing violently from time to time, much to her concern. She went to check on him periodically, to change the towels over his head and whatnot, but she knew that there was not much she could do – not until she found out what was going on.

In the meantime, Bella did her best to clean the kitchen, tidy up all of the rooms, and clear up the general mess the Blacks (mainly Jacob) keep forgetting to take care of. It became increasingly clear to Bella how much their house needed a woman's touch. But since both Rebecca and Rachel were gone, Billy and Jake had to fend for themselves, which couldn't have been easy. She wished that there was something more that she could do for them. Even if she gave them everything she had, it would never amount to what they had given her over the years.

Bella's reflective train of thought was interrupted by a loud shout. "Something smells _good!_ " An intruder yelled from the living room as he took a noisy inhale of the scent around the house. Bella rolled her eyes, knowing exactly who it was, but not bothering to look up from the garlic she was cutting. In the next moment, the intruder was in the kitchen, taking in another whiff of the pleasant aroma. "I should have known a smell like this was because of you." They said lightheartedly from behind her.

Bella turned around, knife still in hand, to face the newcomer. She crossed her arms over her chest. "You better not touch a single scrap of food before I'm done, Quil." Bella warned playfully, lightly shaking her knife. Quil stood a few feet from her, hypnotized by the food cooking on the stove. He was shirtless, as always, with only a pair of baggy jeans as clothing. His intricate tattoo showed resplendent on russet skin, which almost glowed under the kitchen light. Despite the very attractive werewolf in the room, she could only focus on keeping him away from the food she had made for Jake.

Quil whistled lowly before laughing. "I guess I'm no longer needed as protector around here."

Bella raised an eyebrow as she saw him furtively try to make a grab for her mini-tacos. "The only thing you should be protecting is your hand if you touch my tacos." She threatened.

"Damn, looks like the little swan's grown some teeth." Another voice interrupted. Stepping into the kitchen was another tall, shirtless male, one she had could say she was more comfortably acquainted with.

Bella grinned at him. "It's good to see you, Embry." She said before turning back to her chopping.

"You as well, Bella." He reached over and ruffled her hair a little. "We're here to check on the sick dog. How's he doing?"

Bella scraped the garlic into her soup and stirred it, a little disheartened. "He doesn't look too good…"

"Doesn't feel it either from what we can tell." Quil remarked, sitting on the top of the kitchen island.

"What do you mean?" Bella asked curiously, leaning against the counter so that she could face both of the boys.

"Well, we might not be able to hear Jake's thoughts because he hasn't phased, but that doesn't mean that we can't feel what he's feeling. And, let me tell you, that boy must really be suffering." Quil commented with a grimace.

Bella's eyes widened in fear and concern. Her mind immediately started to spin with all of the things she could do to make him feel better. She raised her hand to her mouth and chewed on her nails a little, a nervous habit she had unintentionally developed.

Embry glared at his friend as he reached over and pulled at the cartridge of his right ear. " _Shut. Up._ " He threatened lowly. Quil rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, realizing that his comment didn't help the situation at all. Embry's expression changed completely as he moved to console the panicking girl. "It's okay, Bella. Jake's strong, so it's nothing he can't handle." Embry said pacifically as he squeezed her shoulder in reassurance.

Even Embry's soft smile couldn't alleviate Bella's worry. "There has to be something I can do for him." She said, more to herself than to Embry.

"Somebody is cooking for him; there's literally nothing else that he could ask for." Embry said, trying to lighten up the mood. It worked to a small extent, as the edges of Bella's mouth started to curl upwards.

"Especially since _you're_ doing it." Quil pointed out nonchalantly.

Bella turned to him questioningly. "Hm? Why's that?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. Quil realized what he had just let slip and met the eyes of Embry, who was adamantly making silent motions behind Bella for him to shut up.

"Uh…" Quil stuttered a little before recovering, "B-because he's always been thinking about how much he misses you and wants to spend time with you. Guy literally never shuts about it, actually. In his head, I mean! And he would just be really happy that you're over now because it's the first time that he's gotten to see you in God knows how long so…yeah." Quil rambled before coming to his abrupt stop, purposefully avoiding Bella's skeptical gaze.

"Quil? Are you feeling okay?" Bella asked. Her eyes then widened. "You aren't getting sick too, are you?" Her eyes darted multiple times between Quil and Embry, trying to make sense of the situation presented to her. "You two should go sit down. I hope you guys aren't catching the same thing Jake is." Bella said as she led the two of them to the couches and sat them down. "I'll be done in a few minutes. Just rest and let me know if you feel anything weird."

"Bella, no, we aren't…sick…" Embry tried to say, but Bella had already disappeared into the kitchen to finish up her cooking. Embry huffed and looked at Quil in annoyance. "Next time, I'm not bringing you with me." He grumbled.

"Oi, I'm just as much of Jake's friend as you are!" Quil said indignantly.

"Who the hell is yelling?" A weak voice asked from the hallway. Both Embry and Quil turned their focus to a fatigue-plagued Jacob, who was rubbing his eyes with one hand and supporting his weight on the wall with the other.

Embry immediately rose and went to his side, cognizant of the layer of sweat he was covered with and the red tinge to his face. He helped Jacob to the couch and settled him between him and Quil. Jacob plopped onto the couch like a ragdoll, slouching with his limbs spread limply. His eyes were barely open and he looked like he was nodding off more by the second.

"Sorry to wake you, Jacob. We just came to check on how you're doing." Quil said as he patted his shoulder. "Holy crap, man. You're really burning up."

"I'm okay." Jacob breathed out. "I had such a nice dream. I saw Bella here taking care of me." Jacob closed his eyes and smiled dreamily. "I wish I could hear her voice again."

Before Quil and Embry could say anything, a worried voice came from the doorway to the kitchen. "Jake! What are you doing out of bed?" Bella cried as she rushed over to him, kneeling before him on the couch and taking his hot hand in hers.

Jacob looked down at her and sighed, his smile transforming into a weak grin. He clutched her hand tighter, as if he was trying to make sure she was there, but his head seemed to be somewhere else. "My wish came true." He brought her hand to his face and pressed into it, relishing the feel and smell of her skin.

Quil looked extremely uncomfortable by the affection, something he would have teased Jacob about if he was heartless enough to make fun of a sick person. "I'll, uh…go check on Bella's soup." Quil said as he quickly got up and retreated to the kitchen. Embry got up and moved to lean against the opposite wall, not wanting to leave Jacob alone in case he needed anything, but not wanting to be too close so he was in their way.

Immediately after his friends' departure, Jacob pulled Bella up with the surprising amount of strength he had left and forced her to sit next to him on the couch. He wrapped his arms around her and settled her into his bare chest while his face rested itself in her hair. He breathed in her scent and sighed contently, nuzzling into her as if she was a teddy bear.

Bella looked up at him in shock. She was used to Jacob being affectionate – they were best friends and that was just how he was – but he had never acted like this before. She shrugged it off, remembering that he was hurting and was probably in need of comfort. Thus, she hugged him back soothingly.

"Jake, you should go back to bed. You shouldn't be exerting yourself yet." She said, shifting her position so her head was resting against his bare shoulder.

"Don't wanna…" He mumbled, his face still in her hair. He continued to take deep breaths, as if intoxicated by her scent. Bella didn't seem to notice. "You smell so nice…" He trailed off sleepily.

Embry looked at his friend with wide eyes. Quil, who had just returned from the kitchen, had his mouth agape. They then turned their attention to Bella, waiting for her to be either angry or thoroughly embarrassed. To their surprise, she looked up at Jake with a sympathetic gaze and a small smile.

"Poor guy," Bella said as she stroked a hand through his damp hair. "Probably so disoriented that he doesn't know what he's saying." She sighed sadly.

 _Or he's just horny._ Embry thought suspiciously, still leaning against the opposite wall. Quil looked at him in agreement; they didn't have to be in their wolf form to know what each other were thinking.

"Hang on, Jake. I'll get you some of the food I made. You haven't eaten all day." She said as she untangled herself from his strong grip and left. He whined pathetically at the lack of her presence, but then settled back into the couch and awaited her return.

Quil went behind the couch and peered down at him. "Are we sure he's sick? He's acting more like he's in heat than actually being ill." He said as he crossed arms. "Gets to be a pervert while pulling the "I'm sick" card. _So_ unfair." Quil huffed.

Embry came over and touched Jacob's forehead, feeling the heat radiating off of it. "He's sick alright." He confirmed. "I think his inhibitions are just low at this point. He doesn't really know what he's doing." Embry shrugged.

"Naw, I think he's a bit _too_ aware of what he's doing, if you know what I mean." Quil said with a smirk as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Embry rolled his eyes. Leave it to Quil to make any situation inappropriate. "Shut up, Quil." Embry said as he rubbed his temples.

Bella came back in a few minutes later with a hot bowl of soup in her hands. She took one of the beige couch cushions and laid it on her lap so she could rest the steaming bowl on it. She stirred it, trying to cool it down. In the meantime, she turned to the boys and asked, "Do you guys know what's going on with him?"

"Beats the hell out of me." Quil said. "Might just be exhaustion. We've been running double shifts these past couple of days since Sam's been trying to train Leah and Seth. We may be supernatural or whatever, but even our immune systems can become weak with stress."

Bella stopped stirring and looked down at the bowl sadly, knowing that it was her fault that Jake was like this. Seeming to sense her distress, the ailing Jacob inched closer to her, resting his head on her shoulder. Bella turned her head and tried to smile for him, even though his eyes were closed. She knew that she couldn't wallow in self-pity at a time like this, but she couldn't help but feel guilty for what she had put the pack through.

"Don't think that." Embry said. Bella raised an eyebrow, tacitly asking him how he knew what she was thinking. "I've seen that expression before. This isn't your fault, ya know? It's our duty to protect our territory from any leeches. We would have done this anyway, even if there wasn't someone after you." He said as he placed a friendly hand on Bella's head. Bella smiled up at him thankfully.

However, just as Embry's hand touched Bella's head, Jacob started to growl – a feral, low sound. Embry and Quil immediately took a step back, knowing the sound to be a warning. Bella just looked at Jacob curiously, oblivious to the implications of what he had just done.

"Well, speaking of 'protecting territory'." Quil muttered so only Embry's sharp senses could hear. Bella was too focused on Jacob to hear what they were saying, anyway.

"Is he okay?" She asked them urgently. Her hand and Jake's were intertwined, with her squeezing his in a sign of comfort.

"Yeah…he's fine." Embry said distractedly. He and Quil shared an equally serious look.

"Alright, if you say so…" Bella said before returning her attention to Jacob. "Come on, Jake. Eat your soup. If you boys want some, there's extra soup and porridge on the stove. And yes," she said as she saw Quil's face light up, "you can have the tacos."

Quil whopped happily as he rushed to the kitchen to devour her cooking. Embry followed him at a normal-pace, probably dreading having to stop the eccentric boy from eating everything.

"Oh, and Bella?" Embry asked as he turned to face her. Bella hummed in acknowledgement as she continued to feed Jacob. "The rest of the pack will probably come around some time in the night to check up on him. You still going to be here?" He asked.

"Um…" Bella hesitated as she looked down at Jacob's head, resting heavily on her shoulder. She observed his labored breaths and the weak twitching of his limbs.

There was no way she was going to leave him like this.

"Sure. I mean, if it is alright with you guys." Bella quickly added, suddenly drawing into herself. "I don't want to intrude if they don't feel comfortable around me."

Embry softly laughed with a shake of his head. "Now where'd you get that idea? Of course we're comfortable around you! You're one of us, Bella. No matter what kinds of," Embry wrinkled his nose a little, "parasites you like to be around, a friend of one wolf is a friend of all of them." He said reassuringly. With that, he made his way into the kitchen.

While Embry and Quil argued in the kitchen for the next few minutes, Bella finished spoon-feeding Jake his soup. He took it in almost robotically, and she found herself missing all of his comments about how she was "the best chef in the world". Somehow, Jacob's arm snaked its way around her waist, making it so that she was almost sitting on top of him with how close their bodies were.

"Jake," Bella whispered as she nudged his shoulder, "you need to get up and go get some rest, okay?"

Jake grumbled incoherently as his eyes opened lazily to stare at her. For a moment, she was entranced by his dark orbs, finding them so warm and earthy compared to Edward's golden ones. She was so far gone that she didn't hear him when he spoke. "Sorry Jake, what did you say?" Bella asked sheepishly.

If Jacob had noticed her staring at him, he didn't mention it. "I asked if you would lay with me for a while." Jake said solidly. His features conveyed a tired sort of seriousness. Even through his lethargy, he found it within himself to place all of his emotion into this one request.

Bella sighed, but shrugged. "If that's what'll get you to fall asleep, then sure." Bella said nonchalantly. There was not a worry in her mind about the situation. Jacob was her best friend, and she trusted him with her life. He was also too sick to move most of the time, so lying next to him for a few minutes shouldn't hurt.

She climbed onto his small, twin-sized bed with her back facing away from him. He immediately wrapped an arm around her waist and brought her to his chest. He laid his head on her shoulder. "Big spoon." He sighed out breathily. Bella laughed a little in an attempt not to be too worried by his increased body temperature.

Bella turned a little in his hold so that she could see his face. "You're so weird sometimes, Jake." She said with a yawn, feeling a little sleepy herself. She could tell by his soft breathing that Jacob was already asleep, and she was quick to follow suit.

* * *

When Bella woke up, the light outside Jake's window had vanished, transforming into a warm orange glow with tinges of red and purple – a midnight blue hue hovering in the distance. Bella groaned a little bit as she realized that she slept more than she intended. However, when she looked at Jake – who had shifted their position so that he was lying flat on his back with her smothered into his chest – she knew that the long sleep was worth it.

Bella was just about to go back to sleep when she heard voices yelling in the distance. She lazily rose from Jacob's chest and looked out the window. As she expected, the wolf pack had arrived, emerging from the woods behind Jake's house with their usual overdose of exuberance and enthusiasm. Bella chuckled a little as Quil, Jared, and Paul – before they had even reached the house – were already engaged in a friendly wrestling match.

Embry smartly abstained from their scuffle, favoring to complete the rest of the journey to Jake's house with Sam and Emily. Young Seth Clearwater watched his fighting older brothers with amazement, but with one command from Sam not to get involved, he reluctantly shuffled next to Embry. Farther back, behind the three hooligans on the ground, Leah trudged forward. She refused to look anywhere except her feet. She looked at the three boys and rolled her eyes sardonically.

Bella released herself from Jacob's hold and stretched, feeling a satisfying crack in her back. She then knelt down and examined her best friend. He seemed to be a little better, if the reduced redness on his face meant anything. His breathing was also less labored, a peaceful look replacing the pained one from before. She reached a hand up and touched his face gingerly, stroking the area under his eyes with her thumb. A smile spread across Bella's face as Jake unconsciously turned his head to mold itself into her hand.

Deciding to step away to greet their guests, Bella retracted her hand slowly and made her way out of the room, giving Jake one last glance before exiting. She made her way to Jacob's back porch, where Sam waited with the rest just in front of the house. He seemed to be giving some kind of lecture about how they were not to roughhouse with Jake or with each other in a way that might get him involved. She had to choke back her laughter when Sam specifically singled out Paul as the main reason for his speech.

Bella cleared her throat a little to get their attention. When all of them turned their gazes towards her, she became acutely aware that she probably didn't settle her bedhead before she went to see them. Feeling a little self-conscious, she shrunk into herself a little, castigating herself for not thinking things through.

Emily immediately noticed and went to her side, hugging her fondly. Bella melted into Emily's warmth. Even though she might not be a wolf, she had this beautiful motherly aura around her that just drew Bella in. "It's _so_ good to see you Bella. It's been so long!" She said enthusiastically as she linked their arms together. "Come, do you need help in the kitchen?" She asked.

Bella stole a quick glance back at the rest of the Quileute boys. "Yes, please." She said while nodding vehemently. She heard small chuckles from the pack behind her as she and Emily made her way inside. The boys followed after them, while Leah hung around the backyard, sitting on one of the porch chairs and watching the setting sun.

The boys, loud and boisterous as ever, could not help resume their wrestling match once they got inside, this time with Seth included. Sam went to the kitchen with Emily and Bella to help make Bella's job of cooking for several shape-shifters with gargantuan diets somewhat less cumbersome, to which Bella was grateful for.

"How's he doing?" Sam asked as he began to chop some of the herbs Bella had laid out in front of him.

"Still running a fever, but he seems to be much better than this morning." Bella replied.

"Good, good." Sam said, a bit distractedly. Emily looked at him in worry, but chose not to say anything.

"Sam?" Bella asked tentatively. He hummed in response. "Do you…know what happened? I mean, Embry and Quil say it's because of exhaustion, and I know you guys have been running so many shifts back-to-back and you never get any rest and it's all my fault and that's probably why he's sick and…" She was cut off when Emily hugged her to her chest. The jittery girl almost jumped out of her grip because of her nerves, but she managed to calm down after a few strokes on the back.

"Slow down, Bella." Sam said with a hand up, his voice laced with both authority and gentleness. "I also believe that his condition is due to fatigue, but I've never seen him like this before. We have yet to show him to the tribe doctor, since Jake's always making such a big fuss about keeping his 'macho' image." Sam said that with an annoyed roll of his eyes, making Bella giggle. "But he'll be fine, I believe. He just needs some rest and good food," he said, motioning to the dishes on the kitchen counter, "to help him get back in shape."

Bella laughed at that. In moments like these, she could not remember ever feeling uncomfortable around Sam. Despite his tough and imposing exterior, he was a caring leader and a soft-hearted man. There was no wonder Emily liked him so much. Bella stole a glance at the older woman, who seemed to read her thoughts and push her shoulder a little bit with a grin. Sam looked at their interaction strangely, but decided not to question them. He would never understand women, anyway.

There was a knock on the door to the kitchen. Standing in the open doorframe was Embry, who looked calm and collected despite the chaos that was happening in the other room. Bella looked at him with a raised eyebrow, a look that did not escape Embry. "What is it?" He asked her.

"Oh, nothing." Bella said lightly with a shake of her head. "I was just surprised to discover that you know what knocking is." She joked. Emily burst into laughter beside her and Sam raised his fist to his mouth to prevent himself from laughing.

"Ha ha, very funny." Embry said sarcastically as he came up behind Bella and pinched her cheeks.

"Ow ow ow ow." She cried as she swatted his hands away. "Geez, I'm always so attacked when you're around." She grumbled. She restrained herself from punching his shoulder, since she knew that she would probably hurt her hand beyond repair if she did.

"Good, then I'm doing my job right." He said with a boyish grin. Bella rolled her eyes and turned back to the stove.

"What do you want, Embry?" She asked.

"Just wondering if I can check on my boy. Everyone seems to've forgotten that that's the reason we're here." He replied.

"Oh, well he isn't awake yet, but if you want to go check on him, I'm sure its fine." Bella said. "Just make sure not to wake him if he's not awake already. And don't move him too much. _And_ if he says that he needs anything, call me right away!" Bella affirmed.

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am." Embry said with a salute.

Bella poked him in the middle of his chest. "Dismissed, soldier." She said, watching as he laughed and exited the kitchen. "You boys are something else." She said, but mainly to herself than to her company.

"You're telling me." Sam muttered under his breath. Bella looked at him sympathetically, knowing how hard it must be to manage all of the starkly different personalities of his pack.

Bella then felt a vibration in the back pocket of her jeans. She washed her hands and wiped them on a towel before reaching back and retrieving her phone. Looking at the caller ID, she saw that Edward was trying to call her again. She hesitated once more, calculating how long he was going to talk to her for, how angry he would be, how emotionally stable she was – she was placed in a pensive state just from a phone call.

"Who is it?" Emily asked with a frown, seeing Bella's eyebrows furrow in contemplation. At her question, Bella immediately brightened up.

"Oh, it's just Edward." She said nonchalantly, trying to ignore how Sam tensed up at his name. "He's probably wondering where I am. It's probably not urgent, so I'll just call him back later." She said with a smile as she declined his call, silenced her phone, and shoved it back into her pocket. Preoccupied with cooking, Bella missed the shocked expression on Sam's face as he exchanged a confused glance with his fiancée. Sam was about to turn back to his own work, but a loud crash and yelling broke his focus.

"What the hell are ya doing fighting in my house? You little shits!" A voice yelled from the living room, undoubtedly belonging to Billy Black. Sam sighed in exasperation and rubbed his temples. He turned his gaze towards the two women, tacitly asking for excusal to sort the situation out.

Bella chuckled a little. "Sounds like they need you out there. Go on." She said, jerking her head towards the door. Sam shot her a grateful smile, kissed Emily on the head, and made his way out to the pandemonium outside the kitchen.

Emily sighed. "Boys." Bella hummed in agreement.

With her chili simmering on low heat, Bella took off her apron and made her way towards the door. "I'm going to go say hi to Billy." She told Emily.

Emily clapped lightly. "You're much braver than I am. I'm going to hide back here away from their mess for a few more minutes."

"Probably a smarter decision than mine." Bella joked before leaving the kitchen. When she went to the living room, she saw that all of the pack boys were getting heavily reprimanded by Billy, a broken lamp shattered next to his wheelchair. She had never seen Paul or Quil look so scared in their lives. Seth was sitting on the floor with crossed legs, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, while Jared tried to feign innocence. She grinned at the scene; it was odd to see men that transformed into huge, scary beasts afraid of a smaller man in a wheelchair.

When Billy finished his castigation, he turned his gaze toward the doorway where she was standing. His face immediately brightened us with and endearing fatherly smile. "Bella." He greeted as he held his arms out. Bella grinned and walked over to him, kneeling by his chair so she could wrap her arms around him.

"Why does Bella get such a warm welcome?" Paul grumbled.

Billy glared at him. "Because Bella doesn't break any of my stuff." He said through gritted teeth. Paul shrunk back. Bella laughed and pulled back, giving Billy a small peck on the cheek.

"I hope you slept well, Billy." Bella said, still kneeling.

"I did, sweetie, thank you." He said as he patted her on the head. He then looked at the mess on the side of the wheelchair that Bella was not sitting on. "Now we've got to clean this mess up." He said disdainfully.

"Oh, I'll go get a dustpan." Bella said as she tried to get up. However, Billy immediately grabbed her hands and pulled her back down.

"You will do no such thing." Billy said assertively. Billy looked at the youngest of the pack, who shrunk under his gaze. "Clean this up, Seth." Billy ordered, snapping at the mess on the floor.

"But-" Seth tried to protest.

"Chop to it, squirt." Jared joked, nudging Seth with his foot.

"You can help, Jared." Billy amended. Jared opened his mouth to argue, but one glare from Billy immediately shut him up. With a huff, Jared grabbed Seth's shirt and hoisted him off the ground, dragging him to the garage. "These boys will be the cause for my heart attack one day." Billy said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Bella patted his hands sympathetically before getting up.

"Dinner's almost ready." She said. The rest of the boys' eyes lit up in excitement. Billy nodded and retreated back to his room.

"Hey Bella?" Quil asked as Bella passed him. Bella raised her eyebrows in question. "Can I get a kiss on the cheek too?" He asked with a smirk.

Bella scoffed. "For doing what?"

"For being an awesome friend and checking on Jake today. My loyalty to my friends knows no bounds." He said with a hand over his heart and hopeful eyes.

Bella rolled her eyes and was about to shoot him down, but then an idea came to her. "Alright." She said with a sweet smile.

"Really?" Quil asked with wide eyes.

"You cannot be serious." Paul muttered, crossing his arms.

Quil pointed to a spot on his cheek. Bella leaned in close and stuck her tongue out, knowing fully-well what Quil was about to do. Right when she was close enough, he turned his head around and kissed her tongue.

"Stole it-eww, was that your tongue?" Quil said, realizing that she had not intended to give him a kiss at all. Paul laughed so hard that he was literally rolling on the floor. Jared and Seth, who had returned from the garage early enough to witness the act, also howled with laughter. Even Sam couldn't contain his amusement. "That was cold." Quil pouted, even though a smile graced his face as well.

"You were asking for it." Bella said with an innocent shrug.

A devious smile then overtook Quil's face, making Bella eye him suspiciously. She didn't like where this was going. "Well, I never knew you liked me so much that you would bring tongues into our little spectacle, baby. I like how bold you are." He teased, wrapping one of his strong arms around her waist and bringing her close to his chest, making her painfully aware of the disparity in their heights. Bella blushed a beet red, unable to fathom what to say next. Seeing the poor girl's plight, Sam was about to jump in and tell Quil to knock it off. However, another voice – one much deeper and more sinister – beat him to it.

" _Quil,_ " Someone hissed from behind them. Quil froze for the second time that day. The voice sounded like it was about to grant him a slow and painful death, and it was not too far from their capabilities to do so.

Bella looked over her shoulder to see Jake in the hallway connecting his room to the living room. He was supported by Embry, who had his arm hooked over his neck. Even Embry had a scared look on his face. Jacob's eyes narrowed into slits as he glared at Quil, trying to make him catch on fire just by his gaze. He bared his teeth a little, making his intentions clear.

Bella picked up on the tension in the room, and knew that it had something to do with her and Quil. She gave Quil a half smile, letting him know that they were cool, before moving away from him and walking towards Jacob.

"Jake, how are you feeling?" She asked as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Embry released Jacob's arm so that he could copy her action. Jacob wrapped his arms around her waist, tightly pressing her to him and resting his head on top of hers. What Bella didn't see was the death glare that Jacob had aimed at his friend. Quil put his hands up in surrender.

"I'm feeling a lot better than this morning, that's for sure." He said, his voice returning to its normal, cheerful tone, albeit a little strained.

Bella backed away from his embrace and felt his forehead, noticing that it was significantly cooler than it had been before. It was still warmer than what she would consider healthy for him, but she was happy about the improvement. "Well, fever's almost gone. Do you still feel weak?" Jake nodded a little. "Okay, Embry." She said to the boy next to her as she motioned for him to take one arm while she took the other, leading Jacob to a vacant couch. Jake coughed again a couple of times, put a few pats on the back from Bella and the cup of water Embry gave him allowed him to calm down.

Across from them sat Paul and Quil on another couch, while Jared and Sam sat on two separate chairs. Seeing that there was no other place to sit, Seth sighed and conceded to sit on the floor next to Jacob and Bella's feet.

Bella felt bad for the young wolf, so she ruffled his hair a little, making him look at her. She scooched over to make some space between her and Jacob and patted the couch. Seth's face immediately lit up as he jumped up from the floor and onto the now-cramped couch. Seth leaned a little bit on Bella's shoulder because he was so squished. "You're the coolest, Bella." He said with a grin.

Bella didn't mind about their close proximity at all and just ruffled Seth's hair again as his head rested on her shoulder. "Anytime, kiddo."

Meanwhile, Jacob was internally contemplating whether he should smile at how sweet Bella was or snarl at how his little brother was cozying up to _his_ woman. He then felt a sharp nudge to his ribs, which if he were a normal person, probably would have severely bruised him. Jacob rubbed the spot he was elbowed and glared at Embry. Embry gave him a look that told him that he had to cool his shit before he blew it. Even though Jacob would rather run patrols 24/7 than admit it, his (guy) best friend was right.

He just didn't know what was happening to him.

He turned to see that Seth had shifted his focus to arguing with Paul over whose fault it was that the lamp broke. Bella, on the other hand, was staring at her screen with a furrowed brow, obviously conflicted. Jacob, with the little strength he had, reached over Seth and laid his hand on Bella's knee. She jumped a bit at the sudden interaction, but then she turned and smiled at him – although that smile did not truly reach her eyes.

Bella turned back to her phone, scrolling through the activity that had occurred since she had put it on silent:

 _Missed Call from Edward (18)_

 _From Edward:_

 _Bella where are you? I went to your house and Charlie told me that you were out with some friends. Call me and I'll come straight there._

 _From Edward:_

 _Bella, please answer my phone calls. Please. I need to hear your voice._

 _From Edward:_

 _Goddammit Bella, I swear to God if you don't answer me, I'll track you down myself!_

 _From Angela:_

 _BELLA! Are you okay?! Edward just came here a few minutes ago and yelled at me to tell you where you were! Please let us know that you're alright._

Bella shook a little bit in her seat, not even noticing that all of the boys had paused their conversations and were looking at her in worry. Bella paid them no mind. She only thought about how upset she made Edward, not telling him where she was. Even though a part of her knew she was justified, she knew that she had to take the first step to console him.

Bella abruptly stood up, almost throwing Seth off the couch. She quickly apologized to him before turning back to the rest of the pack.

"I-I, um…I need to make a phone call. I'll be right back." Bella said skittishly as she ran out to the back porch, clutching her cell phone in her hands.

 **Thank you guys so much for reading! Please leave a review letting me know what you think! I'd love to hear any comments or criticisms you may have. I only feel motivated to update if I know people are interested :')**


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